


Portent

by Beastrage



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen, Gossip, POV Outsider, Pre-Game(s), Zelda's mistaken assumptions, court life, messing with time, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-20 12:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9491375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beastrage/pseuds/Beastrage
Summary: The princess dreams of a storm on the horizon.The thief plots and schemes.The hero explores a world even bigger than he imagined.And the heralds come, bringing forth new possibilities. Fate, this time, is not set in stone.





	1. She of Twilight

The newcomer to court is greeted with a flurry of whispers and gossip. 

She is beautiful, for a foreigner. Red hair rests long over her shoulders, coloring bright against her dark robes. Her skin a bluish-green and black, mimicking that of a Zora, though lacking the scales and fins. Dark artistic markings sit on her forehead. It's the red-gold eyes that make her seem...darker, more monstrous. 

Everyone knows that only monsters have yellow eyes. Red eyes. 

"I am Princess Midna of the Twili," she says, with a slight curtsy to the king and the queen. All mutter about such a show of disrespect. This strange woman is no equal to Their Majesties. How dare she imply such! A foreigner with a lack of poise, of manners. Not that's much of a surprise, but this? If a princess behaves like this...what barbarians the Twili must be. The five Twili soldiers that serve as her escort bow deeply, but nothing more. 

The king frowns and a similar expression tugs at the face of his queen. They are appeased, by the chest two guards bring forth, full of a rich tribute. But all watch this stranger carefully, nobles armed with rumors and soldiers armed with swords. 

Her guards look all alike, still and silent in their dark armor marked with blue. They never talk, never take off their helms. A maid runs into one in an empty room she cleans. Its glowing eyes almost come out of nowhere, to spy on her in the dark. She shrieks and scurries off, red eyes haunting her mind through the night. Other guards haunt the hallways, always there in the background of every event. Watching over their princess.

 _Ghosts_ , superstition whispers.  _Redeads, brought back to serve a witch. Stalfos, bones hidden in that armor._

The princess herself sparks even more names. Whispered behind her back, of course. It wouldn't do for her to know of those tales at all. A whore, a witch, a woman who sold her soul to a demon for power. Some even go as far to claim that the princess is no princess at all, but instead an imp in disguise. An imp sent to trouble Hyrule. 

* * *

 

 Zelda dreams anew. The normal storm no longer comes over the horizon, ready to devour her whole. Instead, it waits, gloomy and overcast. And all the princess can hear is the howling of wolves. Darkness creeps over the ground, growing closer and closer. Dark wolves, with red eyes stalking towards her...

With a cry, she awakes. 

"Princess, are you alright?" Zelda looks up into concerned red Sheikah eyes. The princess gulps a sob, nodding. "I'm...fine, Impa. But the dream...it's different." Impa frowns. "How?"

Zelda shivers. "Wolves. Wolves hunting me."

"I see..." Impa looks away, but not before Zelda sees the worry on her face. The guardian holds Zelda tight, stroking her hair. The young princess buries her head into her shoulder. For a moment, they hold each other, Sheikah and Hylian. 

And the night seems a little lighter, a little less cold.

 

It's weeks before the Princess Zelda can muster the courage to get just a little closer to the Twili visitor. Her curiosity is force to be reckoned with, driving the young girl to carefully peek at the Princess Midna from around various corners and across rooms. To actually get within an arm's length, or closer? That takes something else entirely.  

The Twili is...strange. A strangeness like the Zora messengers that Zelda dimly recalls visiting the castle at one point in her childhood, like the finely sketched pictures of Goron on yellowed pages. The Twili princess looks closer to human than either of those two races, but alien nonetheless.

She uses only one fork at the dinner table, wielding it more like a knife, stabbing down at the meats and greens on her plate viciously. She drifts across the floor, almost floating like a Poe would've. At times, when she laughs, head going back, her grin flashes tiny fangs. All that and more, make Zelda cautious in attempting to draw nearer.

It is the wolf outlined in green thread on the woman's robes that convinces her to finally act. A wolf, just like in her dreams? That could not be chance.

When the Twili is alone, for once, in the gardens, Zelda seizes her chance. Head held low, hands tight around a book, she scurries to a nearby bench. She almost ducks behind it, only stopped by the consideration of her dress's well-being. Instead, she chooses to sit down on the cold stone, feet dangling above the ground. Zelda has no reason to be nervous. She knows that Impa is watching her, from behind the hedge. 

Reddish eyes glance Zelda's way. The princess resists the urge to look back, fixating her attention on the book in her hands. An old favorite, full of monsters and heroes. Turning pages ruffle loudly in the silence. From habit, Zelda turns to the center of the book and settles down to read  _The Hero of the Sky._

"A classic." Zelda starts at the unexpected voice. A dark finger traces the boy in green fighting a flaming beast. The Hylian princess looks up, right into red eyes. A sly smile draws itself on a beautiful face. "Aha, Your Highness. How lovely to finally meet you."

"We've met," Zelda manages with a dry throat. She swallows. "Before."

"Have we? Pardon me, but you have the advantage here," The Twili says, towering over Zelda when she stands. "I don't believe you ever introduced yourself to me."

"Zelda," The little girl mumbles.

"What?"

"Princess Zelda Minerva Cygnus Nohansen." Zelda lifts her chin, looking the woman in the eyes. "And you are Midna, the Princess of the Twili."

"Heh, so you remembered my name. What an honor..." Midna giggles suddenly, covering her mouth with a hand. "Sorry, it's just...you're so  _serious_...reminds me of-" She cuts herself off, before she can say anymore. Almost as quickly as it came, the moment of levity is replaced by somberness. 

Zelda isn't quite sure what to say in reply to that. 

But before the silence grows enough that she  _has_ to say something, Midna speaks once more. " _The Hero of the Sky,_ I see. You should try reading one of my favorites. Here." The Twili swiftly flips through the storybook, stopping near the end. Zelda looks down to see a wolf staring back at her.  _Blue eyes,_ the blonde notes faintly,  _not red_. 

" _The Sacred Beast_...that's a good story." Without further ado, Midna saunters off towards the castle once more. A black-armored guard detaches itself from the shadows, following faithfully after her. 

Glancing at the picture once more, Zelda notes the page number and closes the old book carefully. "Impa?" she calls. 

"Yes, princess?" 

"I think..." she swallows. "I think that she might be related to the dreams."

"It seems to point towards her," Impa agrees. "But we must be careful not to leap to conclusions, princess." 

"We won't," Zelda vows, thinking of red eyes and howling. "I won't."


	2. She of Blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two spirits in the Lost Woods. This'll end well.

There's a stranger in the woods. A girl, with an unfamiliar face. 

She wanders the woods, seeming lost. Unsurprisingly really, there's a reason this forest is called the  _Lost_ Woods. But unlike most lost here, she appears in no hurry to find her way. Instead she explores the world among the trees. 

Up in the trees, far above her head, a small figure tugs at his wide-brimmed hat. He giggles quietly. 

"What a weird lady," he whispers, peering down at said lady. His green and brown clothes blend in perfectly with the surrounding foliage. Unlike the lady, who is a bright blue. Like the sky, or the shiny gems he sometimes finds in the dirt. 

Skull Kid isn't used to adults. Other kids like himself, or the green girl...sure. He hates _all_ adults, really. But there's something strange about this blue lady, that beckons to him. Something that holds him back from driving out this intruder. 

(For a moment, he faintly remembers warm arms around him, full of love. The next, it's gone). 

He leaps from tree to tree, following the strange lady. Who knows, maybe she'll do something fun to watch. 

"I know you are there." The blue lady tilts her head, up towards the trees. Her voice is a strange song, chimes almost like a fairy. "Who are you?"

"Nobody!" Skull Kid calls back, rustling branches in front of him, ducking behind them.

"Nobody would not have answered," she points out.  

Skull Kid doesn't even consider her logic, electing instead to jump down the branches to stand next to her. He's super short, next to her. But she isn't very tall. He tries standing on his tippy-toes. Not that helps in gaining any height. 

"What are you doing?"

"Who are  _you_?" Skull Kid shoots back, dancing around the lady. Humming his favorite tune, the forest tune. 

"I am Fi, spirit of the Master Sword."

Skull Kid considers this. He doesn't know very much about swords, but he does know a little more about spirits. Mostly, that if you aren't nice to them, they would eat you up. At least, that's what the other Skull Kids said. But the lady didn't really seem the eating innocent Skull Kid type. "I'm Skull Kid!" he says proudly. 

"Pleased to meet you, Skull Kid." The blue lady is _super_ nice, so nice it's weird. And quiet too, but that's less of a problem with his good hearing.

"Are you looking for something?" Hah, silly question. Skull Kid knows people are  _always_ looking for stuff in the Lost Woods. 

The blue lady considers this, head tilted in thought. "I believe so. But I cannot seem to find my Master."

"Your Master?" Master, that's a word Skull Kid's never heard before. It seems heavy, somehow. Full of deeper meaning, weight that the blue lady gives to it. 

"He is the Chosen Hero of the Goddess."

Skull Kid shrugs. "I don't know any heroes. I know stories, though!" 

The blue lady slowly nods. "It would be good to upgrade my memory banks. Would you mind telling me?"

Skull Kid swells at this request, puffing up his chest. "Of course! I'm the bestest story teller ever!"

Blue lady smiles. A small one, but one nonetheless. "Thank you."


End file.
